


Daughter of Darkness

by Settiai



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Community: femslashex, Dubious Consent, F/F, One Shot, Power Imbalance, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-07-29 02:53:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16255202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: Cassandra knew who she was.





	Daughter of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kimaracretak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimaracretak/gifts).



"Have I told you lately how proud I am of you, my child?" Delilah asked, gently running one of her fingers up and down Cassandra's cheek before leaning in to press a kiss against her forehead. "You've grown into such a beautiful woman."

Cassandra shivered slightly at the touch, but she forced herself not to lean into it no matter how much she might want to do so. She'd learned years ago not to be too eager. Delilah had made it clear that it was unbecoming for someone of her position to behave in such an uncouth manner, and the last thing Cassandra wanted was to disappoint her.

She wasn't the youngest de Rolo any longer. That girl was gone. She was a woman now. She was a Briarwood. It was her responsibility to act appropriately.

Delilah's smile grew a bit wider. "Yes, so proud," she repeated. This time she ran her finger down Cassandra's neck, stopping just at the neckline of her dress. It was low enough to tease but not to be considered improper. "I never would have thought the wild girl who Sylas and I met all those years ago would grow up so well."

"Thank you, my lady," Cassandra said quietly, not quite meeting Delilah's gaze. It was difficult enough not to react to her touch as it was. She wasn't certain she would be able to continue to do so if she was looking her in the eyes.

Cassandra was many things, but she was still only human.

Delilah laughed. The sound was like bells ringing in the air. "There's no need to be so formal, my dear," she said, her hand coming up to play with a loose strand of brown hair that had fallen in front of Cassandra's ear. "You know that you're mine."

Cassandra nodded, but she still avoided meeting Delilah's gaze. She didn't want to risk embarrassing herself or her lady. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'll do better."

Once upon a time, she might have said that she'd try to do better, but over the years she'd learned that trying wasn't good enough. Not for the Briarwoods. Either you did what was expected of you and thrived, or you failed to meet those expectations and didn't have a chance to fail more than once. They expected the best from those under their rule. They didn't tolerate weakness. That was why they were strong.

She had failed them once, in the beginning, before she had truly understood who they were. Before she had realized that they had come to protect Whitestone, not harm it. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

Delilah let out a soft "tssk" sound. Her hand shifted, moving from the strands of hair falling free over Cassandra's face to the loose braid the rest of her hair was pulled back into. Then, without warning, she tightened her grip on it and pulled.

Cassandra gasped, her head jerking back and her eyes going wide as she finally met Delilah's gaze. Her entire body rang like a bell at the slightest touch, and it was a struggle to force herself to hold still with those bright eyes staring straight at her.

"It's impolite not to look at someone when they're speaking to you, Cassandra," Delilah said coolly. "Do keep that in mind."

"My apologies," Cassandra said breathlessly. She couldn't have looked away just then even if she had wanted to do so.

For a long moment, the world stood still. Delilah stood there, staring into Cassandra's eyes as if she could see her very soul while Cassandra did her best to remember simply how to breathe. Then Delilah smiled and let go of her braid.

Cassandra was careful not to drop her gaze again.

Delilah tilted her head, looking at her as if she was a particularly interesting puzzle. Cassandra had seen that look on her face before, but it was usually aimed at the ziggurat that they were slowly uncovering under Whitestone. She couldn't recall it ever being aimed at her before.

With a smile that sent warmth pooling low in Cassandra's stomach, Delilah whispered something under her breath. The words sounded like nonsense to Cassandra's ears, but the arcane had never been her strength. It had been a great disappointment to Lady Briarwood when she had realized as much. Still, Cassandra had learned to love the look and feel of magic, even if she didn't always understand it.

Delilah's hands glowed green for a moment, her auburn hair looking almost like flames in the flickering light. Then the light erupted from her, filling the room and wrapping around Cassandra as if it was a second skin. It felt warm and comforting, like _home_ , even if it came with the very faint scent of death alongside it.

Cassandra felt somewhat lightheaded, as if she had stood too fast or had been standing for a long time. Then it was over, the light disappearing as if it had never been there.

Cassandra didn't ask what the spell had been. It was her own failing for not knowing enough about magic and the arcane. She couldn't expect Lady Briarwood to explain every little thing she did to her. Whatever it was, it must have been important. She wouldn't have wasted her magic without cause.

She swayed in place slightly, and Delilah reached out to steady her. Cassandra flushed. She hated showing weakness. It made it more difficult to prove herself worthy of everything that the Briarwoods had given her.

"Oh, my darling." Delilah reached out to tuck the loose strands of hair she had been playing with a moment earlier behind Cassandra's ear. "What am I going to do with you?"

Cassandra didn't frown. She'd learned that lesson well, and it was not a mistake she would make again. She did, however, furrow her brow slightly. "Whatever you'd like to do with me," she said, a bit of uncertainty in her voice that she couldn't quite hide. "Am I not yours?"

Delilah laughed again. "Beauty and wisdom," she said. "I've been given a gift."

Without another word, Delilah leaned in and kissed her.

Cassandra didn't kiss back for a moment or two. She waited to see what Delilah wanted, to make certain she did what was expected of her. It changed sometimes, depending on her lady's mood – and Lady Briarwood would always be _her lady_ , at least in the safety of her own mind. She was everything to Cassandra. She wanted to be respectful to her, and even after all this time she didn't know how to do so without falling back on the formality that she had learned as a child.

The gentle kiss turned sharp, Delilah biting Cassandra's lower lip hard enough to bruise. It didn't hurt, not in comparison to many of the other things Cassandra had been through, but it was a clear warning that she wasn't doing what was expected of her.

Cassandra kissed back, careful to follow and not to lead. It was a dance. Delilah was her queen, and she was one of her lowly subjects. She didn't want to overstep her bounds, even by accident.

Delilah eventually broke the kiss, her mouth moving towards Cassandra's neck instead. Her teeth were sharp against the sensitive skin there, scraping just enough to bruise but not bleed. It would leave a mark that couldn't be missed.

It was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Delilah pulled away, straightening her dress as she did so. Cassandra had to bite back the whine she could feel threatening to leave her throat. She felt off-kilter with her neck sore and her skin burning. The warmth that had been pooling in her stomach felt as if it were actual flames, and she knew that it would not take much at all to have her aching and shivering for release.

Delilah's mouth curled upward into a smile as she reached out to touch the side of Cassandra's neck, where her mouth had been just a few seconds earlier. "There," she said. "That will be a reminder that you are mine, for you and anyone else who cares to look."

Cassandra's breath caught in her throat. "Thank you," she said, meeting Delilah's gaze and pointedly not looking away. "I won't forget. I give you my word."

If anything, Delilah's smile grew even wider. She ran her gaze up and down the length of Cassandra's body before reaching out to straighten her dress as well. Just that faint touch through the cloth was enough to cause Cassandra's entire body to shudder slightly, despite her best efforts to hold it back.

"I have a meeting that I cannot miss," Delilah said coyly. She adjusted Cassandra's dress again, clearly not missing the effect it was having. "It is with some of the nobles. Perhaps it would be best if you came as well."

"Of course," Cassandra said with a nod. Her voice was only slightly breathless. "It would be my honor."

Delilah raised her brows. "I do hope you're more composed in the meeting than you are right now," she said matter-of-factly. "You're a Briarwood, even if those fools have not realized it yet. I expect you to act as such."

Cassandra nodded again, doing her best to compose herself. "I won't embarrass you," she said, her voice firmer. "I promise."

Delilah leaned in close, her mouth only a hairbreadth's away from Cassandra's ear. The sensitive skin on the side of her neck throbbed. "I expect that you won't," she said, pressing one last kiss against the quickly bruising skin of her neck. "If you're a good girl, perhaps we will finish this lesson afterwards."

Cassandra smiled back.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me over on Tumblr. (http://settiai.tumblr.com/)


End file.
